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No. 22 Mississippi St. rallies past No. 16 Auburn 92-84

Lamar Peters

Mississippi State guard Lamar Peters (2) fakes out an Auburn player on his way toward the basket during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

AP

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Quinndary Weatherspoon scored 27 points, Lamar Peters added 16 points and 10 assists, and No. 22 Mississippi State pulled away to beat No. 16 Auburn 92-84 on Saturday night.

Auburn and Mississippi State (15-4, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) were locked in a tight game for much of the second half before Mississippi State broke a 70-70 tie with Weatherspoon’s 3-pointer and Reggie Perry’s dunk in quick succession.

An irate Auburn coach Bruce Pearl then was called for a technical foul after arguing with officials and Weatherspoon hit two free throws to give the Bulldogs a 77-70 lead with 7:13 left.

The 6-foot-4 Weatherspoon tied a season high in points and finished 6 of 9 from the field and 11 of 11 on free throws.

Auburn (13-6, 2-4) has lost three straight. The Tigers shot 53 percent from the field and were led by Bryce Brown’s 18 points, but were hurt by 19 turnovers.

Mississippi State took a 47-45 halftime lead after making 10 3-pointers in the first half. Auburn stayed close thanks to a 14-of-14 performance on free throws. Peters had 12 points for the Bulldogs before the break while Auburn’s Jared Harper and Brown both scored nine.

BIG PICTURE

Auburn: The Tigers continued to struggle without 6-foot-11 forward Austin Wiley, who has missed the past three games with a lower leg injury. Auburn was projected as one of the best teams in the SEC, but the Tigers have put themselves in a hole as February approaches.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs really needed this win at home and got it with a gritty performance in the second half. Weatherspoon was excellent and Perry’s 10-point, 11-rebound performance was important in the post.